make or break time for United's youngsters

well some of them anyway
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more/2008/07/16/share-dryer-89520-20645370/
I would like to see Johnny Evans and Frazier Campbell given a chance in the first team squad, i'm not sure that Campbell is good enough but i think he is good enough to be given a chance. Welbeck, Brandy and Cathcart could probably do with going out on loan and getting some vital experience hopefully with a decent side. I can't say that there is aybody else with a chance at United amongst the youngsters at the moment. Last season was the poorest for quite some time in the junior ranks, not because of the results but the performance levels. I saw some really poor games on MUTV i'm afraid last season.

So lets hope the new man in charge proves as big a hit with the youngsters as he did with us fans. An interview on United's official site with the legend himself.
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6613875

The pursuit for Berbatov looks set to drag out
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jul/16/premierleague.tottenhamhotspur

Well he was never going to city was he,
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/ronaldinho-arrives-to-milan-fanfare-869498.html
To be honest i can't laugh too much at the news because i think he would have been a terrible signing for them, so they have got out of jail as far as i'm concerned.

Jim White's take on the signing that never was
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/07/16/sfnjim116.xml

The US economy is entering worrying times according to Gerard Baker
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/gerard_baker/article4340443.ece

How do the allies win in Afghanistan asks Robert Fox
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/16/military.afghanistan

Belguim in a state of flux again?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/16/eu

Cricket authorities go well and truly twenty20 mad as in a couple of years time we are to have 2 twenty20 competitionas a season and the 40 over format will get the axe.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/english-twenty20-plans-announced-869372.html
I have written before that i am not mad on the 20 over form of the game, but this really takes the biscuit. Two competitions is surely overkill. It looks like cricket is going the way of football, chasing the money at the expense of the spectators. One longer twenty20 competition was justifiable but having 2 is just too much. I have said before that i think this is suited more to TV cameras than spectators. I know that it has proved very popular, but when it has done it over a number of years the current proposals may be justifiable. I don't think any serious cricket fan is really too keen on this type of cricket. So if twenty20 cricket turns out to be just a fad , a lot of serious cricket fans will have been alienated.

Music

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes: A cracking album, i wasn't sure which i preffered this or Bon Iver so i listened to them one after the other and they are both superb. Americana, folk are amongst the genres they have been bundled in with but for me they are just a very good pop group with eclectic tastes.
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair: A disco house album, very disco. It's pretty good with a couple of stand out tracks such as blind, raise me up and athene. A real get up on the dancefloor album.
Isobel Campbell and Marl Lanegan - Sunday at dirt devil: The second album involving Marl Lanegan i have listened to recently and once again it's a top listen. If you liked the last album they made together Milk White Sheets then you will like this because it's more of the same, maybe a bit bluesier in places than the mainly folk of the first.
Jim Noir - Jim Noir: The difficult second album, not a bit of it, the man from Davyhulme has made another great slice of Psychedelic pop. I can't see too many tracks being used for adverts this time, All Right sounded pretty reminiscent of the Super Furries, no bad thing
Nick Cave and the bad seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! : Absolutely magnificent, I loved his solo effort Grinderman and this may be even better. I saw them on a BBC4 special recently and they were superb, i have definitely been missing out on them. I am aware that they haven't always played stuff as mean as dirty as this though.
Santogold - Santagold:I don't know how you would categorise this, electro rock or pop maybe but it's pretty good. Bits of it sound pretty 90's ish to me but in a good way.